Archive for July, 2009

Michael Sigman celebrates his father Carl Sigman’s centennial

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Former L.A. Weekly publisher Michael Sigman is celebrating his father Carl Sigman’s centennial by refocusing attention on the late Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee’s valuable song catalog.
Carl Sigman, who died in 2000, would have been 100 on Sept. 24. He wrote over 800 songs contributing the lyrics, music or both. These include such [...]

‘No’ Hollywood Style

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“Oh, he RSVPs ‘yes’ for everything, just in case he decides to go.”
- Movie star’s aide, explaining why said star didn’t honor his promise to attend a dinner party.
Most “creatives” — what entertainment-industry suits call musicians, writers, actors and other artists (sometimes they’re called “talent,” but sexist moguls also use that word [...]

The Reading of Wonders

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The first thing I remember, I was lying in my bed
I couldn’t’ve been no more than one or two
And I remember there’s a radio, coming from the room next door
…Well it’s late in the evening, and the music’s seeping through.
- Paul Simon, Late in the Evening
The most amazing thing I’ve ever read [...]

Control Patrol

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“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.”
- Philip K. Dick
As part of my executive training, a former boss once shared a chilling image that underpinned his genius for manipulation. [...]

A Number for the Ages

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Have skipp’d from sixteen years of age to sixty
-William Shakespeare, Cymbeline

I just turned 60, and the last thing I want to do is add to the navel-gazing from the hordes of ‘49ers celebrating that birthday. On the other hand, the number 60 itself is a trip.
I don’t claim the intimate relationship with numbers [...]